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Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Ní Mhaonaigh is recognised as a leading exponent in the Donegal fiddle tradition, and she is often considered one of the foremost singers in the Irish language, her native tongue. She was part of the Irish supergroup T with the Maggies who performed in January 2009 at Temple Bar TradFest in Dublin their first ever two concerts under that name and who released in October 2010 their debut (and to date only) album. After nearly 22 years with Altan, on 28 December 2008 Ní Mhaonaigh premiered in Gweedore (during the Frankie Kennedy Winter Music School) her debut solo album '' Imeall'' which was later released worldwide in February 2009. After 29 years with Altan, in October 2016 Ní Mhaonaigh released her alternate band Na Mooneys' debut album '' Na Mooneys''. Background Ní Mhaonaigh gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Altan (band)
Altan are an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk music band formed in County Donegal in 1987 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband Frankie Kennedy. The group were primarily influenced by traditional Irish language, Irish-language songs from Donegal and have sold over a million records. The group were among the first traditional Irish groups to be signed to a major label when they signed with Virgin Records in 1994. The group has collaborated with Dolly Parton, Enya, the Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, and many others. Origin As an 18-year-old student and musician from Belfast, Frankie Kennedy used to travel to Gweedore, County Donegal, on his summer holidays, learning Irish language, Irish and playing traditional Irish music on Irish flute and tin whistle. There he met native 14-year-old Irish-speaker and musician Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, the daughter of musician Proinsias Ó Maonaigh from Gweedore and the two fell in love with each other but Ní Mhaon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donegal Fiddle Tradition
The Donegal fiddle tradition is one of the distinct fiddle traditions within Irish traditional music. The distinctness of the Donegal tradition developed due to the close relations between County Donegal and Scotland, and the Donegal repertoire and style has influences from Scottish fiddle music. For example, in addition to the ”universally known” standard Irish dance tunes, there is an added volume of Scottish and Nova Scotia tunes played, with even some tunes from Shetland and Orkney. This includes standard tune types such as double jigs (), slip jigs (), reels (), and hornpipes (swung ). It has been claimed that Donegal musicians play more slip jigs than any other region of Ireland. This is potentially due to the geographical borders/mountains (as well as national borders with Northern Ireland) keeping Donegal's repertoire more locally-known for decades. There is also a prevalence of mazurka playing. Mazurkas are historically mainland-European tunes very similar to a wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frankie Kennedy Winter School
Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy ("Frankie Kennedy Winter School") was a traditional music winter school held annually in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland starting December 1994 in memory of Belfast flautist Frankie Kennedy (from Irish folk music band Altan (band), Altan) who died on 19 September 1994. The last session ended in January 2014. It has been succeeded by the "Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair" ("Gweedore Winter School"). Overview The festival, which ran throughout the end of December until 2 January featured some of Ireland's best known musicians as well as friends of Frankie's from Scotland and further afield. It also presented a unique learning environment for musicians and arrangers. Classes are provided in flute, fiddle, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, bodhrán, button accordion, bouzouki, sean-nós singing, house dancing, and guitar. In 2008, the festival introduced a new class, ''Arranging Irish Music and Song'', which was taught by traditional music veteran Dáith� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ceol Aduaidh
''Ceol Aduaidh'' (Irish Gaelic for "''Music from the North''") is the first studio album by Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (who would go on to found the Irish band Altan), originally released in 1983 on the Gael-Linn Records label. It was reissued in 1994 by Green Linnet Records and a remastered edition was issued in 2009 by Gael-Linn. Critical reception In the January–February 2010 issue of (French magazine) Trad' Mag, on the occasion of the album re-release by the Gael-Linn label, folk critic Philippe Cousin awarded ''Ceol Aduaidh'' full marks (giving the album a "Bravo!!!" award), calling it a «recording that is a historical milestone in the early 1980s presaging the beginnings of Altan» and stating: "On the fully remastered ''Ceol Aduaidh'', fiddler and singer Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and flutist Frankie Kennedy perform some of the typical Donegal dances such as Mazurkas ("Shoe the Donkey"), Highlands and Germans along with the inevitable Jigs and Reels. Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enya
Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selling Irish solo artist, and the second-best-selling music act from Ireland overall, after only the rock band U2. Her music has been widely recognised for its use of multi-layers of her own vocals and instrumentation, lengthened Reverberation, reverb, and interwoven elements of Celtic music. Raised in the Gaeltacht, Irish-speaking region of Gweedore, Enya began her musical career in 1980 playing alongside her family's Irish language, Irish folk band Clannad. She left Clannad in 1982 to pursue a solo career, working with the former Clannad manager and producer, Nicky Ryan, and his wife Roma Ryan, Roma, as their lyricist. Over the following four years, Enya further developed her sound by combining multitracked vocals and keyboards with elements ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proinsias Ó Maonaigh
Proinsias Ó Maonaigh () or Francie Mooney (28 April 1922 – 28 March 2006) was a fiddler from Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair), County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. He is known for his distinguished fiddle playing and his unique and vast contribution to Irish music and culture. He is the father of Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (fiddle player, lead vocalist and cofounder of Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk music band Altan (band), Altan) and grandfather of fiddle player Ciarán Ó Maonaigh. Early life Born in Gaoth Dobhair in 1922 as the youngest of eight children, he was a son of a famous musician from the area Róise Mhór who would have played with An Píobaire Mór ("The Great Piper") Tarlach Mac Suibhne. It was an Irish speaking household and traditional music was nurtured within the home and they were taught many Irish songs. Life and career In 1954, he married a Gaoth Dobhair woman, Kitty Ní Ghallchóir, and they have three children: Gearóid Ó Maonaigh, Mairéad Ní Mhaonai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Na Mooneys (album)
''Na Mooneys'' is the debut (eponymous) self-produced album from Irish folk music band Na Mooneys, released in October 2016. History Na Mooneys was formed in late 2013 / early 2014 by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (from Irish folk music band Altan) and her siblings Anna Ní Mhaonaigh and Gearóid Ó Maonaigh along with Ciarán Ó Maonaigh (Gearóid's son and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's nephew), on the occasion of the very last Frankie Kennedy Winter School where they performed their first ever show. As Irish News' critic Robert McMillen wrote on 28 October 2016: "the group's roots are to be found in the rural Donegal Gaeltacht and go back several generations. ndeed the musical DNA from Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's randparents��Róise Bheag Róise Móire, her melodeon-playing grandmother who died very soon after airéad'sparents married in 1954 ndher grandfather Francie—would have passed through to Mairéad's father, Francie Mooney, the man who wrote "Gleanntáin Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Na Mooneys
Na Mooneys (''The Mooneys'' in Irish Gaelic) are an Irish folk music band from County Donegal, formed in late 2013 / early 2014 by Altan's Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her family. History Na Mooneys was formed in late 2013 / early 2014 by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (from Irish folk music band Altan) and her siblings Anna Ní Mhaonaigh and Gearóid Ó Maonaigh along with Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's nephew, Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, on the occasion of the very last Frankie Kennedy Winter School which occurred in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland where they performed their first ever show. On their Facebook page (created on 7 January 2016), the band describe themselves as «a family of musicians & singers from the Donegal Gaeltacht» playing Irish traditional music. The band Na Mooneys recorded their debut (eponymous) album '' Na Mooneys'' in early 2016 in Manus Lunny's studios in County Donegal, Ireland. The album was released on 6 October 2016. Live shows *In late 2013 / early 201 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imeall
''Imeall'' (Irish Gaelic for "''Edge''", "''Rim''", "''Threshold''") is Irish musician Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's debut (and to date only) solo album, self-produced on her own label "Moon" and released physically as a (numbered) limited edition in late 2008 / early 2009 and digitally available through her official website (after 20 years of recording with her band Altan). History ''Imeall'' was recorded in 2007/08 in Stiúidió na Mara ("Seafront Studio") (An Bhráid, Tír Chonaill, County Donegal, Ireland), the home studio of Ní Mhaonaigh's friend and musician/producer Manus Lunny, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Donegal mountains and islands. The album features many of Mairéad's friends and regular collaborators including Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and Dónal Lunny. It also includes Manchester-born piper and flute player Michael McGoldrick and Annbjørg Lien, a member of String Sisters, with whom Mairéad plays fiddle and sings. Release Only 3000 (handwritten numbered) physic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy
Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy ("Frankie Kennedy Winter School") was a traditional music winter school held annually in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland starting December 1994 in memory of Belfast flautist Frankie Kennedy (from Irish folk music band Altan) who died on 19 September 1994. The last session ended in January 2014. It has been succeeded by the "Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair" ("Gweedore Winter School"). Overview The festival, which ran throughout the end of December until 2 January featured some of Ireland's best known musicians as well as friends of Frankie's from Scotland and further afield. It also presented a unique learning environment for musicians and arrangers. Classes are provided in flute, fiddle, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, bodhrán, button accordion, bouzouki, sean-nós singing, house dancing, and guitar. In 2008, the festival introduced a new class, ''Arranging Irish Music and Song'', which was taught by traditional music veteran Dáithí Sproule. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gaoth Dobhair
Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo and Bloody Foreland in the north to Crolly in the south and around from Dunlewey in the east to Magheraclogher and Magheralosk in the west, and is sometimes described as one of Europe's most densely populated rural areas. It is the largest Irish-speaking district in Ireland, with a population of around 4,065, and is also the home of the northwest regional studios of the Irish-language radio service RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, as well as an external campus of the University of Galway. Gweedore includes the settlements of Brinlack, Bunbeg, Derrybeg, Crolly (partially), and Dunlewey, and sits in the shade of County Donegal's highest peak, Errigal. Gweedore is known for being a cradle of culture of Ireland, Irish culture, with old Irish cust ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
